Very close to the end of the semester now, so I'm afraid Vox will have to take a back seat once more as I get my ass kicked by final exams.  Be back soon.  If I survive.

In the meantime, enjoy this nice little clip, featuring a father and son from Amsterdam creating some calligraphic art side-by-side.  From the notes:  "Spontaneous jam sessions in our studio inspired us to make this film about the fun drawing letters."  It does look like fun, doesn't it?

Muxtape, according to the website, is "a simple way to create and share mp3 mixtapes."  Upload up to 12 songs and arrange them accordingly to construct the perfect backdrop for whatever mood you're in at the moment.  The songs stream automatically and loop back to the beginning after the last selection.  The website itself has a minimalist design and is extremely easy to use.  Creating your own account only takes a minute or two, and listening to Muxtapes created by fellow users is just a click away.

Lately I've been staying up later than I really should, feeling contemplative (dare I say ... emo?  Say it ain't so), so here's my current Muxtape playlist:

3:37 AM & Drizzling: Essential Listening for the Occasional Insomniac

1. Deadly Avenger - "Everyday Is Valentine"
2. Amel Larrieux - "Gills And Tails"
3. Amy Winehouse - "Love Is A Losing Game (Instrumental)"
4. Bang Bang - "Bye Bye Blues"
5. Natalie Gardiner - "Slowly Softly"
6. Mozez - "If I Fall"
7. 40 Winks - "Melancholia"
8. Zimpala - "Adios"
9. Stateless - "Down Here"
10. Little Dragon - "Stormy Weather"
11. Telefon Tel Aviv - "Lotus Above Water"
12. Attica Blues - "Tender (The Final Story)"

Play it here and let me know what you think (I recommend opening it up in another tab and listening as you surf).  If you've made a Muxtape, please post your link in the comments.  I'd love to hear it.

The last bit is the best.  So damn funny [NSFW for language].  Happy Saturday.

I've been crushed with school stuff lately and have a couple of physiology exams at the end of the week, but should have some time to post some new entries after recuperating this weekend.  Stay up everybody.

I usually do this a handful of times a year, and it's getting warmer out, so I shaved my head.  This time around I went with the #2 guard (instead of just using the blade by itself) which gives a nice close cut without going all the way down to the scalp.  Much easier to get ready in the morning, and my shampoo and conditioner last for months.

Plus I get that breezy cool feeling on my head every time the wind blows, and my hats fit much better.  Just thought you guys would like to know.

Because hey, it's Saturday.  From the narration:  "Constructive action was still attempted by those retaining a sense of responsibility in spite of physical symptoms.  But one hour and ten minutes after taking the drug, with one man climbing a tree to feed the birds, the troop commander gave up, admitting that he could no longer control himself or his men.  He himself then relapsed into laughter."

Video could've used a funny soundtrack though.

[via Wired]

Feeling the need to update my blog a bit, I made a new Dragonfish banner image.  Obviously the inspiration came from comic books, so hopefully I did them justice!  This was my first time messing with distortion and perspective on the lettering, and I think it turned out fairly well -- there's always lots of room for improvement though ... I've been dabbling a lot more in Photoshop lately and will be trying more techniques in my new obsession of creating fake album cover art (some of which I may post here in the near future).  Feedback, as always, is definitely appreciated.

Ah, rabbits.  Here's a great video [Flash] from the Australian band TISM (This Is Serious Mum) called "Everyone Else Has Had More Sex Than Me."  While the depressing title might sound like one that Dashboard Confessional would come up with, the song itself is pure unabashed pop rock:  funny, upbeat and catchy as hell.  The video, although simply animated with few colors, is creative and really well-done (especially with regard to facial expression and body language) and quite different from the usual crap being broadcast on your mainstream music television channels.  A summary:

The video was chosen from a multitude of entrants in a competition. The winning entrant was a cartoon [by Bernard Derriman] featuring two rabbits, one a depressed singer and the other a masked keyboardist ... The number on each bunny's chest indicates the number of times it has had sex. The main bunny, commonly known as "The Sex Bunny" in Internet circles, has the number "1". Other bunnies of various ages and appearances are shown, some with surprisingly high numbers (in one version of the video, a jaded-looking male rabbit with a handlebar mustache claims an impressive 10,419). Despite the singer's lament, one bunny is shown who has had even less sex: the masked keyboardist, with a number of "0". [from Wikipedia]

Which got me to thinking a little.  How differently would we treat each other if we had our own "numbers" prominently displayed on our chests (or floating above our heads)?

No, not the nocturnal bird.  OWL is an acronym for "Objects With Light," an impressive collection by London-based artist Georgios Ignatiou.  According to his website, OWL consists of "objects with light improvised through form, function, and aesthetic [by] reclaiming the functions of used or found objects or materials ... [then] re-applied practically into lifestyle to describe new forms from old forms that function mainly as desirable objects with light."

In other words, he makes extremely cool shiny things that seem to glow in the dark.

I absolutely love this kind of work.  Most of the pieces wouldn't function very well at all for task lighting, but obviously that's not the point.  The fixtures are beautifully arranged, ranging from massive amounts of marbles, sponges, tweeters, slinkies, and various other household objects.  Ignatiou creates the pieces so that the light passing through and around the objects is given a quiet, mellow glow -- definite mood enhancers.  Just imagine a couple of these tastefully installed in some dark after-hours lounge with strains of Soulstice or Supreme Beings of Leisure floating through the air, as you relax with a sexy $12 cocktail at your side.

Or something like that.  That's the thing: if something as singular as a light source can inspire one to design an entire scene around it, then it has done its job well.

Now let me see if I can enhance the mood by draping a red T-shirt over my desk lamp ...

I haven't posted any video of my daughter for a while, so here's a new one.  Sorry it's so dark!  Hopefully you can see.

Veronica engages in a four-and-a-half-minute battle of truly epic proportions as she attempts to answer one of life's most important questions.